A Torrance Unified Charter School.
Co-designed with
Tuition-free · Opens September 2026 for Grades 5–8
Discover Your Path. Design Your Future.
Torrance Meridian Academy combines excellent teachers, project-based learning, and a flexible schedule — a Torrance Unified charter school for families who want more from secondary school.
A Torrance Unified Charter School.
Co-designed with
Tuition-free · Opens September 2026 for Grades 5–8
Discover Your Path. Design Your Future.
Torrance Meridian Academy combines excellent teachers, project-based learning, and a flexible schedule — a Torrance Unified charter school for families who want more from secondary school.
A Torrance Unified Charter School.
Co-designed with
Tuition-free
Opens September 2026 for Grades 5–8
Discover Your Path. Design Your Future.
Torrance Meridian Academy combines excellent teachers, project-based learning, and a flexible schedule — a Torrance Unified charter school for families who want more from secondary school.
About
How Torrance Meridian Academy Works
One model, built around how students learn best.
Flexible Schedule
Engaging live virtual classes with teachers — 3.5 hours per day, 4 days a week — plus enrichment activities every Friday.
Project-based Curriculum
Interdisciplinary classes built around real-world challenges that end with high-quality project presentations.
Caring Community
Enduring relationships with a consistent set of faculty and peers, plus optional in-person enrichment on Fridays.
Full-time, Online Model
A comprehensive program with four days of live online classes, daily assignments, and dedicated faculty support.
About
How Torrance Meridian Academy Works
One model, built around how students learn best.
Flexible Schedule
Engaging live virtual classes with teachers — 3.5 hours per day, 4 days a week — plus enrichment activities every Friday.
Project-based Curriculum
Interdisciplinary classes built around real-world challenges that end with high-quality project presentations.
Caring Community
Enduring relationships with a consistent set of faculty and peers, plus optional in-person enrichment on Fridays.
Full-time, Online Model
A comprehensive program with four days of live online classes, daily assignments, and dedicated faculty support.
About
How Torrance Meridian Academy Works
One model, built around how students learn best.
Flexible Schedule
Engaging live virtual classes with teachers — 3.5 hours per day, 4 days a week — plus enrichment activities every Friday.
Project-based Curriculum
Interdisciplinary classes built around real-world challenges that end with high-quality project presentations.
Caring Community
Enduring relationships with a consistent set of faculty and peers, plus optional in-person enrichment on Fridays.
Full-time, Online Model
A comprehensive program with four days of live online classes, daily assignments, and dedicated faculty support.
Who Can enroll
Serving Families Across Southern California
Torrance Meridian Academy is tuition-free and open to students in Grades 5–8 who live in Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Kern, or San Bernardino counties. No exit permit is required.
Who Can enroll
Serving Families Across Southern California
Torrance Meridian Academy is tuition-free and open to students in Grades 5–8 who live in Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Kern, or San Bernardino counties. No exit permit is required.
Who Can enroll
Serving Families Across Southern California
Torrance Meridian Academy is tuition-free and open to students in Grades 5–8 who live in Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Kern, or San Bernardino counties. No exit permit is required.
Watch
See what a week at Torrance Meridian
looks like.
A look at the model, the teachers, and a real Friday on campus:
A trusted district. A proven model. A more flexible path.
Torrance Meridian Academy is a Torrance Unified charter school, co-designed with Sora Schools — bringing project-based, mastery-aligned learning to a tuition-free public charter school here in Southern California.
The District
Torrance Unified
A trusted school district serving Southern California families. Torrance Meridian Academy is a Torrance Unified charter school — with full district accountability, support services, and standards.
The Program
The Sora Program
Project-based curriculum, live small classes, mastery-based transcripts, and an advisor model — a proven instructional model, now available to families through Torrance Unified.
The Path
Guided independent study
Four days of live virtual instruction, Monday through Thursday, plus required Friday instructional activity with optional in-person enrichment — tutoring, guided physical education, advisor time, and community events.
Curriculum
Real subjects, taught through real projects.
Students master core standards through interdisciplinary projects — then show what they know through presentations and portfolios, not just tests.
Humanities
History, literature, and writing built around big questions and primary sources — taught in small live seminars.
Mathematics
Mastery-based math that students apply to real projects — advancing when they’ve truly understood, not when the calendar says so.
Science
Inquiry-driven science with hands-on investigations, real data, and projects that connect to the world students live in.
Electives & Enrichment
As the school grows, students will be able to go deeper in areas like coding, design, and the arts through electives and enrichment.
Curriculum
Real subjects, taught through real projects.
Students master core standards through interdisciplinary projects — then show what they know through presentations and portfolios, not just tests.
Humanities
History, literature, and writing built around big questions and primary sources — taught in small live seminars.
Mathematics
Mastery-based math that students apply to real projects — advancing when they’ve truly understood, not when the calendar says so.
Science
Inquiry-driven science with hands-on investigations, real data, and projects that connect to the world students live in.
Electives & Enrichment
As the school grows, students will be able to go deeper in areas like coding, design, and the arts through electives and enrichment.
Curriculum
Real subjects, taught through real projects.
Students master core standards through interdisciplinary projects — then show what they know through presentations and portfolios, not just tests.
Humanities
History, literature, and writing built around big questions and primary sources — taught in small live seminars.
Mathematics
Mastery-based math that students apply to real projects — advancing when they’ve truly understood, not when the calendar says so.
Science
Inquiry-driven science with hands-on investigations, real data, and projects that connect to the world students live in.
Electives & Enrichment
As the school grows, students will be able to go deeper in areas like coding, design, and the arts through electives and enrichment.
What “mastery-based” actually means for your child:
Instead of moving on with the calendar, students move on when they’ve truly learned something — and they show it in more than one way.
Move on when ready
Students advance once they’ve demonstrated real understanding — with room to iterate and redo their work along the way.
A real portfolio
Each student builds a body of work over time that shows what they know and can do.
More than one way
to show learning
Projects, presentations, and conversations — not just a single test score.
Learning that
fits the student
An individualized path, aligned to state standards and Torrance Unified’s Portrait of a Graduate.
What “mastery-based” actually means for your child:
Instead of moving on with the calendar, students move on when they’ve truly learned something — and they show it in more than one way.
Move on when ready
Students advance once they’ve demonstrated real understanding — with room to iterate and redo their work along the way.
A real portfolio
Each student builds a body of work over time that shows what they know and can do.
More than one way
to show learning
Projects, presentations, and conversations — not just a single test score.
Learning that
fits the student
An individualized path, aligned to state standards and Torrance Unified’s Portrait of a Graduate.
What “mastery-based” actually means for your child:
Instead of moving on with the calendar, students move on when they’ve truly learned something — and they show it in more than one way.
Move on when ready
Students advance once they’ve demonstrated real understanding — with room to iterate and redo their work along the way.
A real portfolio
Each student builds a body of work over time that shows what they know and can do.
More than one way
to show learning
Projects, presentations, and conversations — not just a single test score.
Learning that
fits the student
An individualized path, aligned to state standards and Torrance Unified’s Portrait of a Graduate.
WHY CHOOSE TORRANCE MERIDIAN ?
Five things that, together, make Torrance Meridian different.
A tuition-free charter school with an engaging model, excellent teachers, and the credibility of an established public school district behind it.
1.
Tuition-free charter school
A real California public charter school. No tuition — and for families in our eligible counties, no permit or transfer needed to attend.
2.
Excellent
teacher-led instruction
Credentialed teachers leading live, small classes. Mastery-based progression. Not modules or self-paced workbooks.
3.
Project-based
with Sora
Co-designed curriculum from one of the country’s leading project-based programs — interdisciplinary and rigorous.
4.
Guided independent study
Four live virtual days, plus Fridays for tutoring, enrichment, and community — a schedule that fits real family life.
5.
District accountability
A Torrance Unified charter school — an established district with full accountability, support services, and standards.
WHY CHOOSE TORRANCE MERIDIAN ?
Five things that, together, make Torrance Meridian different.
A tuition-free charter school with an engaging model, excellent teachers, and the credibility of an established public school district behind it.
1.
Tuition-free charter school
A real California public charter school. No tuition — and for families in our eligible counties, no permit or transfer needed to attend.
2.
Excellent
teacher-led instruction
Credentialed teachers leading live, small classes. Mastery-based progression. Not modules or self-paced workbooks.
3.
Project-based
with Sora
Co-designed curriculum from one of the country’s leading project-based programs — interdisciplinary and rigorous.
4.
Guided independent study
Four live virtual days, plus Fridays for tutoring, enrichment, and community — a schedule that fits real family life.
5.
District accountability
A Torrance Unified charter school — an established district with full accountability, support services, and standards.
WHY CHOOSE TORRANCE MERIDIAN ?
Five things that, together, make Torrance Meridian different.
A tuition-free charter school with an engaging model, excellent teachers, and the credibility of an established public school district behind it.
1.
Tuition-free charter school
A real California public charter school. No tuition — and for families in our eligible counties, no permit or transfer needed to attend.
2.
Excellent
teacher-led instruction
Credentialed teachers leading live, small classes. Mastery-based progression. Not modules or self-paced workbooks.
3.
Project-based
with Sora
Co-designed curriculum from one of the country’s leading project-based programs — interdisciplinary and rigorous.
4.
Guided independent study
Four live virtual days, plus Fridays for tutoring, enrichment, and community — a schedule that fits real family life.
5.
District accountability
A Torrance Unified charter school — an established district with full accountability, support services, and standards.
A DAY AT TORRANCE MERIDIAN
Example schedule
Live, project-based, and built around how students actually learn best.
A typical day, Monday through Thursday, in our secondary (grades 5–8) classes — small classes, real teachers, and time built in for the conversations and projects that matter. The schedule is predictable every day.
8:40 AM
Live Humanities Block
Small-group seminar led by a credentialed teacher exploring big questions and primary sources, such as why empires rise and fall.
10:40 AM
Live Math & STEM Block
Students tackle real-world project challenges by applying math, science, and creative problem-solving, like designing a public transit system for a city of two million people in 2075
1:00 PM
House Meeting
Academic check-ins or just to talk through the week.
1:30 PM
Deep Work & Project Time
Focused time for students to make meaningful progress on projects, apply feedback, and take ownership of their learning.
A DAY AT TORRANCE MERIDIAN
Example schedule
Live, project-based, and built around how students actually learn best.
A typical day, Monday through Thursday, in our secondary (grades 5–8) classes — small classes, real teachers, and time built in for the conversations and projects that matter. The schedule is predictable every day.
8:40 AM
Live Humanities Block
Small-group seminar led by a credentialed teacher exploring big questions and primary sources, such as why empires rise and fall.
10:40 AM
Live Math & STEM Block
Students tackle real-world project challenges by applying math, science, and creative problem-solving, like designing a public transit system for a city of two million people in 2075
1:00 PM
House Meeting
Academic check-ins or just to talk through the week.
1:30 PM
Deep Work & Project Time
Focused time for students to make meaningful progress on projects, apply feedback, and take ownership of their learning.
A DAY AT TORRANCE MERIDIAN
Example schedule
Live, project-based, and built around how students actually learn best.
A typical day, Monday through Thursday, in our secondary (grades 5–8) classes — small classes, real teachers, and time built in for the conversations and projects that matter. The schedule is predictable every day.
8:40 AM
Live Humanities Block
Small-group seminar led by a credentialed teacher exploring big questions and primary sources, such as why empires rise and fall.
10:40 AM
Live Math & STEM Block
Students tackle real-world project challenges by applying math, science, and creative problem-solving, like designing a public transit system for a city of two million people in 2075
1:00 PM
House Meeting
Academic check-ins or just to talk through the week.
1:30 PM
Deep Work & Project Time
Focused time for students to make meaningful progress on projects, apply feedback, and take ownership of their learning.
In-person Fridays
A variety of optional in-person enrichment activities.
On Fridays, your student will have the opportunity to join us at locations such as the beautiful North High School in Torrance, a California Distinguished School.
Fridays provide a true sense of belonging. Through a mix of dynamic activities and outings, students will co-learn with peers at premier community destinations and Torrance Unified facilities such as brand-new stadiums, eight-lane tracks, full performing arts centers, and an Olympic-quality aquatic center. No two Fridays look alike. One week might feature arts and theater; the next, an innovation or entrepreneurship workshop. Ultimately, students shape their own unique paths through one-on-one teacher mentorship, experiential field trips, and exciting community competitions like eSports and our annual Invention Convention.
In-person Fridays
A variety of optional in-person enrichment activities.
On Fridays, your student will have the opportunity to join us at locations such as the beautiful North High School in Torrance, a California Distinguished School.
Fridays provide a true sense of belonging. Through a mix of dynamic activities and outings, students will co-learn with peers at premier community destinations and Torrance Unified facilities such as brand-new stadiums, eight-lane tracks, full performing arts centers, and an Olympic-quality aquatic center. No two Fridays look alike. One week might feature arts and theater; the next, an innovation or entrepreneurship workshop. Ultimately, students shape their own unique paths through one-on-one teacher mentorship, experiential field trips, and exciting community competitions like eSports and our annual Invention Convention.
In-person Fridays
A variety of optional in-person enrichment activities.
On Fridays, your student will have the opportunity to join us at locations such as the beautiful North High School in Torrance, a California Distinguished School.
Fridays provide a true sense of belonging. Through a mix of dynamic activities and outings, students will co-learn with peers at premier community destinations and Torrance Unified facilities such as brand-new stadiums, eight-lane tracks, full performing arts centers, and an Olympic-quality aquatic center. No two Fridays look alike. One week might feature arts and theater; the next, an innovation or entrepreneurship workshop. Ultimately, students shape their own unique paths through one-on-one teacher mentorship, experiential field trips, and exciting community competitions like eSports and our annual Invention Convention.
Is it the right fit?
Torrance Meridian Academy was built for families who want something different.
Torrance Meridian Academy was built for families who want something different.
A quick, honest look at the families who thrive here — so you can tell if it’s the right fit for yours.
Torrance Meridian is a great fit if your family…
Wants excellent teachers and live classes — not self-paced modules
Needs a flexible four-day schedule for athletics, performance, or travel
Homeschool-based, but with increased academic rigor
Values project-based, real-world learning over worksheets
Wants a tuition-free public option with full district support
Torrance Meridian may not be the best fit if your family…
Wants a five-day, full-day, in-person campus
Prefers a traditional lecture-and-test classroom model
Needs full-time, on-site daytime supervision
Is looking for a fully self-paced program with no live classes
Isn’t in Los Angeles, Orange, Kern, San Bernardino or Ventura county
LEARN MORE
Is It the Right Fit?
Download a one-page overview
School One-Pager
A one-page overview of the model, schedule, curriculum, and enrollment timeline — easy to print and share with more families.
Free Virtual Info Session
Join us for a free virtual info session. We'll walk you through what a day at Meridian looks like, give you a live look at the curriculum.
Schedule with an Enrollment Specialist
Book a quick meeting with an enrollment specialist to get your questions answered and explore your next steps.
testimonials
Things families love about the Sora Program:
"The teachers have done an exceptional job creating a learning experience that truly engages my son. The projects are meaningful, challenging, and bring together multiple skills at once, helping him make connections across subjects. We've seen tremendous growth in both his confidence and his learning, and it's clear that he's excited about what he's doing every day."
Parent of a student
"The teachers are incredible. They have a remarkable ability to engage students in a virtual environment, build strong relationships, and create a classroom culture where every child feels seen and supported. Their passion, creativity, and dedication make all the difference."
Parent of a student
"One of the biggest benefits has been the smaller learning environment. My son struggled in a large public school where the pace and social dynamics could feel overwhelming. Here, he has the space to learn at his own pace, build meaningful relationships, and focus on learning without all the noise. It's been a transformative experience for our family."
Parent of a student
"We love the project-based approach and how learning is connected to real life. Instead of completing assignments just to check a box, students are solving authentic problems, thinking critically, and applying what they're learning in meaningful ways. It has made school feel relevant and engaging."
Parent of a student
"This program provides the structure and academic rigor we were looking for while still giving our family the flexibility we need. My son benefits from a schedule that allows him to learn without the constant pressure and stress he experienced elsewhere. He is more confident, more independent, and genuinely happier."
Parent of a student
"My daughter was bored at her last school. Now, she doesn’t just learn about things, she makes things. She ran a whole research project herself."
Parent of a student
"The teachers have done an exceptional job creating a learning experience that truly engages my son. The projects are meaningful, challenging, and bring together multiple skills at once, helping him make connections across subjects. We've seen tremendous growth in both his confidence and his learning, and it's clear that he's excited about what he's doing every day."
Parent of a student
"We love the project-based approach and how learning is connected to real life. Instead of completing assignments just to check a box, students are solving authentic problems, thinking critically, and applying what they're learning in meaningful ways. It has made school feel relevant and engaging."
Parent of a student
"The teachers are incredible. They have a remarkable ability to engage students in a virtual environment, build strong relationships, and create a classroom culture where every child feels seen and supported. Their passion, creativity, and dedication make all the difference."
Parent of a student
"This program provides the structure and academic rigor we were looking for while still giving our family the flexibility we need. My son benefits from a schedule that allows him to learn without the constant pressure and stress he experienced elsewhere. He is more confident, more independent, and genuinely happier."
Parent of a student
"One of the biggest benefits has been the smaller learning environment. My son struggled in a large public school where the pace and social dynamics could feel overwhelming. Here, he has the space to learn at his own pace, build meaningful relationships, and focus on learning without all the noise. It's been a transformative experience for our family."
Parent of a student
"My daughter was bored at her last school. Now, she doesn’t just learn about things, she makes things. She ran a whole research project herself."
Parent of a student
"The teachers have done an exceptional job creating a learning experience that truly engages my son. The projects are meaningful, challenging, and bring together multiple skills at once, helping him make connections across subjects. We've seen tremendous growth in both his confidence and his learning, and it's clear that he's excited about what he's doing every day."
Parent of a student
"We love the project-based approach and how learning is connected to real life. Instead of completing assignments just to check a box, students are solving authentic problems, thinking critically, and applying what they're learning in meaningful ways. It has made school feel relevant and engaging."
Parent of a student
"The teachers are incredible. They have a remarkable ability to engage students in a virtual environment, build strong relationships, and create a classroom culture where every child feels seen and supported. Their passion, creativity, and dedication make all the difference."
Parent of a student
"This program provides the structure and academic rigor we were looking for while still giving our family the flexibility we need. My son benefits from a schedule that allows him to learn without the constant pressure and stress he experienced elsewhere. He is more confident, more independent, and genuinely happier."
Parent of a student
"One of the biggest benefits has been the smaller learning environment. My son struggled in a large public school where the pace and social dynamics could feel overwhelming. Here, he has the space to learn at his own pace, build meaningful relationships, and focus on learning without all the noise. It's been a transformative experience for our family."
Parent of a student
"My daughter was bored at her last school. Now, she doesn’t just learn about things, she makes things. She ran a whole research project herself."
Parent of a student
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Share a few details and we’ll follow up with next steps, schedule information, and ways to learn more — typically within one business day.
